Anonymous writes...

When the eggs hatch, do expecting mother gargoyles know instinctively which hatchling is theirs to nurse? Or do they just nurse any hatchling?

draph91 writes...

do solar and/or lunar eclipses affect gargoyles in any way when it comes to the stone sleep process?

DS writes...

You mentioned that gargoyles and gargoyle beasts are distinct from most mammals and are classified as "gargates." Given their traits of milk production and warm bloodedness while laying eggs, I'd be tempted to classify gargoyles as monotremes, a subset of mammals that includes platupi and the echidnas, though I would need to look at their biochemistry to be absolutely certain (which has obvious logistical issues). I remember reading in the archives that gargoyles are the first "sentient" race, emerging sometime in the same time magnitude as dinosaurs. Classing gargoyles as monotremes could fit in with that time frame, because birds/dinosaurs and mammals diverged some time in the Carboniferous, significantly before the Triassic. This would put them in the same ecological classification as other monotremes (which you had demonstrated reluctance to accept before vis a vis platupi), but given the long time period, I would EXPECT them to look more and be more different from other monotremes than, say, a sparrow does from a T-rex, since their most recent common ancestor was much longer ago. Oddly enough, the most difficult thing about figuring gargoyles out is the difference between Lexington and the rest of the clan, because four vs six limbs is a major difference, and figuring out that phenotypic difference that still leaves the two types of gargoyles able to create viable offspring wasn't very easy. However, I think I managed to crack it. It is most probably a trait of the MOTHER of the gargoyle, not the gargoyle in question proper (so if Lexington decided he wanted a kid and found a willing female gargoyle (ignoring for thought experiment purposes that he wouldn't be interested in women), he probably wouldn't be able to pass it on). At some point, some female proto-gargate from just as gargoyles and gargoyle beasts were starting to diverge had a mutation that probably added an extra pair of limbs on their back. These extra limbs could have been useful, and could have evolved over time to help gargoyles fly (well, glide) through the power of "jazz hands" (like how bats fly proper). Eventually, another female gargoyle had another mutation that essentially told her kid's biological plan to omit the first pair of "arms" and only have the second kind (the ones that look wingish). Both phenotypes produced viable offspring with roughly the same ability to reproduce, but the second mutation probably started out rarer because it came later. So the general timeline looks like this:

Mammals and dinosaurs diverge -> Platupi diverge from other monotremes -> Gargates diverge from other monotremes (this comes after platupi because female gargoyles have mammary glands, and probably came about as a result of developing the first rudiments of stone sleep) -> Dinosaurs come on the scene -> Gargoyles and gargoyle beasts diverge from each other (probably via gargoyles becoming bipedal) -> Gargoyles evolve six limbs and this variant overtakes the population while the two back arms become more winglike -> the Lexington variant of gargoyles evolves -> Dinosaurs kick it -> Gargoyles gradually become more intelligent as their longer lifespans and lack of natural predators (thanks giant meteor) makes intelligence a more viable strategy for survival to make them more cooperative.

I don't know if this perfectly fits with what you have, but I did the best I could with the information (both show/FAQ-wise and through a degree in biochemistry) I had. What are your thoughts?

Dragomir writes...

How physically strong are gargoyles exactly? We've seen them perform many impressive feats of strength over the course of the series that no human could ever match without some form of augmentation (bionic enhancements, genetic mutations, power armor, sorcery, etc), but if possible I'd like to know just how powerful they actually are, like, how much weight can the average gargoyle lift in comparison to a well above average gargoyle like Goliath or Demona? How many pounds? Or dare I say, tons? Like humans obviously not all gargoyles represent the pinnacle of their kind's athletic potential, hence why I listed Goliath & Demona as examples of peak physical performance, but even the weakest of gargoyles are seriously tough customers, as Lex has demonstrated more than once despite his size, or Hudson despite his age. So, yeah, I'd love to know how the strength levels of gargoyles ranging from below average, average, and above average, AKA strongest. Thanks for your time!

Cronny writes...

How does the commitment ceremony worked? Is it a gargoyle tradition of mating or similar to a wedding? Has there been a humans and gargoyles that can have sex?

ANR writes...

Is it possible for a Gargoyle to be on the Autism spectrum?

Clifton J. writes...

Two, related, questions about Gargoyle biology...kind of:

1. I'm just wondering, does alcohol affect gargoyles the same way it does humans? I mean, can they actually get drunk and hungover?
2. If they can get drunk or hungover, would they need to drink more than humans? Or do their bodies process it differently so that they would actually need to drink less?

Graham T. writes...

Topic: Gargoyle Biology

Question 1: Given the Gargoyles' wings are like bat or bird wings, nor noticeably have a smaller pair of hands, could there possibly have been a Gargate species that existed with two sets of arms, instead of a pair of arms and a pair of wings?

Question 2: Given the immense diversity between Gargoyle appearances, including the Loch Ness clan being semi-amphibious, do Gargoyles have a high genetic mutation rate or a special genetic adaptivity depending on the environment?

Jack Carpenter writes...

What's the smartest observation that you've ever seen a fan make about one of your shows?

Ashley D writes...

I was wondering can Gargoyles with Feathered wings fly, like Zafiro from the Mayan clan or Staghart of the London clan.

Juan M writes...

Are they any bisexual and trans gendered gargoyles in the gargoyle universe?Have we seen them without mentioning who they are. the tv show and comic were theyre closeted for now?

Thank you and the crww for a great cartoon ahead of time.

Chip writes...

Please bear with me...My question involves math. I will try to bullet-point and simplify it as best I can, if I can. I was thinking about gargoyle-beasts and their breeding cycles in relation to the cycles of the winged-gargoyle species.

1) You have stated in the past that beasts have four heats, and are capable of contributing an egg to the rookery following their own hatching, is this correct?

2) Assuming that question 1 is correct, a beast who hatched in '58 would be able to lay an egg in '68, whereas a winged-gargoyle from '58 would not be able to lay an egg until '08. Afterwards, that same female can lay an egg in '28, and '48. The beast from the same generation, however, can lay eggs in '68, '88, '08, and '28. At which point, they become too old to lay eggs. You have stated that beasts get the additional heat because they can mature faster. The question I ask is...Why is it not two additional heats? A female gargoyle from '58 can't lay until '08, but a female beast can lay after just 10 years. Why does the beast not get a final heat in the same year that a winged gargoyle from the same clutch does?

3) I'm sorry if my math or question is confusing. I was just hoping for clarity on this matter. If you don't feel like figuring out the math on this subject, I'll just default to my final, and most frequently asked question...

4) When did the London Clan's beast population go extinct?

Thank you for taking the time and effort to answer these questions. We really appreciate it, and you. #WeLiveAgain

RobertDev writes...

Hello Greg,

I have been a big fan of yours for a very long time. In fact Gargoyles was my favorite show as a child. Now I am 29, and in addition to being a teacher, I am trying to make it as a novelist in NYC. Gargoyles, and you/your writing in general, inspired me a long time ago to pursue telling stories for kids or young adults that are complex and diverse in lieu of "talking" down to them. Since then I have had many more influences, but you really were one of the first. I think I may have been 6 or 7 when Gargoyles first came out and I certainly had my parents add to Disney's coffers with Gargoyle merch.

I have a few questions. I know you are not into hypotheticals or spoilers, so I will try to phrase my questions as proper as possible. Also, as these questions may not exactly fall under the same subject, I will submit multiple questions, as per the instructions.

Long ago I wrote to you about the biology of the Avalon clan. Specifically I asked whether or not it was possible for a mature Avalon couple to travel to the outside world, for say 9 months or a year (1 week or less on Avalon), sync with the natural state of the planet and produce an egg. That was met with an affirmative.

When further questioned as to whether or not they could do this multiple times over the course of their lifetime, producing many more eggs than the standard 3, you wrote that it would be a good topic of discussion during the biology panel (I think it was specifically called something else) at convergence. Unfortunately another Convergence has not occurred for some time and I still, all these years later, wonder about the biology of it all.

Could a gargoyle couple from Avalon come to the outside world every other, or every third, cycle (or whatever) and produce many more eggs than the usual three? Could they produce five or ten eggs? And would there be a detriment to the gargoyle's body in producing that many eggs if they could do all that?

I know this question is long and possibly overwritten but I recently re-watched my DVD sets (and reread the comics) and it got me thinking. I'd appreciate your thoughts on the matter.

I made a promise to myself, many years ago that if I ever became a successful writer I would find a way to work with you one day and/or help you bring Gargoyles back in some form. I still hope to do so. Best of luck to you sir and thank you for your influence and inspiration. Should I one day meet you in a professional capacity I will point out this entry.

John Harmon writes...

I have read that outside of the mating season, it was incredibly rare for a couple to conceive a gargoyle child, my question is this, is there any stigma that the clans put on such a unlikely birth? Or would the clan accept such an occurrence?

Anonymous writes...

You have said there were homosexual Gargoyles, are there also transgender Gargoyles that could transition? Also, how does surgery for Gargoyles work? Is that even a possibility for them, like something as easy as adding stone or shaping stone while they were in stone sleep, or operating on them while they were flesh or would it be impossible?

Emily writes...

Hello Mr. Weisman,
I have a question about Gargoyles for you that just popped in my mind about five minutes ago.
"If a gargoyle was to sleep at all during the night would he be able to stay awake longer during the day?"

Allison writes...

Hi, Greg, hope the tour's going well. Hope you have fun!

I've got a question about gargoyle eggs and customs. Does rookery parentage apply to every gargoyle in a generation of the right age to reproduce? For example, would Iago/Coldsteel be considered one of Angela's rookery fathers despite the fact that he never mated or had any involvement with producing eggs?

Mara writes...

When I visited Puerto Rico last fall (October of 2013) we went on a tour of the cave system in Camuy- which is awesome. On the tour, our guide commented that normally, human settlements only exist in caves that have a clear entrance and exit that face east and west- so that there is light in the cave during the day. For that reason, caves with north/south facings would be avoided.

Anyway, my question is- did pre-bronze age gargoyles tend to have settlements in cave systems over other areas- since their eggs need thermal energy access anyway?

Shana writes...

I want you to know I love Gargoyles! Although my two year old daughter doesn't care for the cartoons yet she does pretend to read my comics.

Any ways I do need a little help clarifying somethings.

Do all Gargoyles (not beasts) have some sort of wings or are there wingless Gargoyles? And what would happen if their wings ever got damaged or destroyed during their stone sleep?

Thank you for your time and trouble.

ashley. B writes...

Dose Brooklyn have a younger sibling I read gargoyles couples each normally have three eggs/ three children so I know he has a brother dose he have a younger sibling.

Anonymous writes...

Do gargoyle babies ever get colic?

Micey writes...

I read the gargoyles wiki on how they only have one mate for life but I couldn't find anything about how they actually chose their mates. Is it like a human and they just chose their mate by courting and falling in love with that gargoyle or does it have to do with certain things, like the horns, wing size, color, etc.?

Al writes...

Another Garg question that I didn't ask in the last post because I wasn't sure if they were related enough to post together...

I don't remember if you were the one to say this or if I read it in the GargWiki, but I seem to remember reading sonewhere that it was generally pretty easy to determine the parentage of a Garg because, like Angela, they will have the basic body structure of their same-sex parent with the coloring of the other.

Did I get this right?

If so, why does Gabrial not have the coloring of either Othello or Desdemona?
Normally I would just chalk it up to that rule not being thought of until after he was created - but he appeared alongside Angela who "introduced" us to that rule, so now I'm perplexed.

Eva Williams writes...

About gargoyle biology, is it possible for gargoyles to have color blindness?

Just curious.